Bypass valves for use with water treatment systems, such as water softeners and water filters are known in the art. Typically, such bypass valves contain inlet and outlet “service ports” and inlet and outlet “valve ports”. The service ports generally face the source of untreated water and the valve ports face the water treatment system. Bypass valves generally have two configurations: a “service” configuration, where the bypass valve transfers untreated water from a household or commercial supply line to the treatment system and then transfers treated water exiting the treatment system to the household or commercial water system that ultimately leads to faucets, showers, and other end user plumbing attachments. The second configuration is generally referred to as a “bypass” configuration, wherein water flow to and from the treatment system is blocked and water entering the service inlet port passes through a bypass passage to eventually exit the service outlet port without coming into contact with the treatment system. The bypass configuration of a bypass valve is generally used when it is desired to use untreated water or when the treatment system needs to be maintained or repaired.
In addition to bypass functionality, it is sometime desired to have “blended” water (i.e., a mix of treated and untreated water) for end use. For instance, in the case of a water softening treatment system, it is sometimes desired to mix some amount of hard water with softened water, if, according to a user's preference, the treated water exiting the water softener is too soft. Most often this blending feature is built into the main control valve of the treatment system. Putting the blending feature on the control valve has some disadvantages: First, the manufacturer must produce and stock a larger variety of control valves, since not all customers wish to pay for the blending feature. Second, a valve is not easily converted from non-blending style to blending style in the field. Third, the blending adjustment itself may be relatively inaccessible to the end user, since the control valve may be hidden in an enclosure. Therefore, it is advantageous to include the blending feature in the bypass valve. Thus, while bypass valves having blending features have been known, there is a need for a bypass valve with a blending feature that is inexpensive, easy to use, and easily added in the field. Other needs will become apparent upon a further reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.